Pika facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pika |
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| American pika (Ochotona princeps) | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Ochotonidae Thomas, 1897 |
| Genus: | Ochotona Link, 1795 |
| Type species | |
| Ochotona daurica |
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| Species | |
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See text |
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A pika ( PEYE-kə) is a small mammal. They live in mountains in Asia and North America. Pikas have short legs and a round body. They have soft fur and no outside tail. They look a lot like their relatives, the rabbits, but with short, round ears. Some pikas, like the large-eared pika, live very high up in the Himalayas. They can be found at more than 6,000 m (20,000 ft) high!
The name "pika" comes from a language called Tungus. The scientific name Ochotona comes from the Mongolian word ogotno. This word also means pika. Pikas belong to a group of animals called lagomorphs. This group also includes rabbits and hares. Pikas are the smallest animals in the lagomorph group. There are 37 different kinds, or species, of pikas alive today.
Pikas like to live on rocky slopes. They eat many different plants, like grasses, flowers, and young stems. In the fall, they gather hay, twigs, and other food. They store this food under rocks to eat during the cold winter. Pikas are also called "whistling hares." This is because they make a loud, high-pitched sound when they are scared. In North America, you can find two kinds: the American pika and the collared pika.
Contents
Where Pikas Live
Pikas live in cold places in Asia and North America. Most pikas live on rocky mountain sides. They find many small spaces in the rocks for shelter. Some pikas also dig simple burrows to live in. A few types of pikas live in open steppe lands. In the mountains of Eurasia, pikas sometimes share their burrows with snowfinches. The snowfinches build their nests there.
Because of changing temperatures, some pika groups have had to move. They now live only in even higher, colder places.
Description
Pikas are small mammals. They have short legs and rounded ears. Their bodies are about 15 to 23 cm (5.9 to 9.1 in) long. They weigh between 120 and 350 g (4.2 and 12.3 oz). Their weight depends on the type of pika.
These animals are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. They eat many kinds of plants. This includes flowers, grasses, and small branches. They also eat moss and lichens. Pikas have a special way to get all the nutrients from their food. They eat some of their own waste, called cecotropes. This helps them digest tough plant fibers.
Collared pikas have even been seen storing dead birds in their burrows. They might eat these birds during winter. They also sometimes eat the waste of other animals.
Like rabbits, pikas have strong front teeth for gnawing. They do not have pointy canine teeth. Their paws are covered with fur and do not have soft pads.
Life Cycle
The life of a pika is dictated by the seasons. Because they live in high mountains where winter can last for many months, their entire year is focused on survival.
Spring
As the snow begins to melt in the spring, the pikas emerge from their winter dens. This is the start of their breeding season. Female pikas usually have one or two litters of babies, called "kits," each year. The kits are born small, blind, and helpless, but they grow very quickly. Within just a few weeks, they are out of the nest and learning how to find food.
Summer
Summer is the busiest time of year for a pika. While other animals might spend their summer playing or relaxing, the pika is hard at work. They are famous for a behavior called "haypiling." Pikas do not hibernate, which means they stay awake and active all winter long. To survive, they need a massive supply of food.
Throughout the summer, pikas spend their days cutting down grasses, wildflowers, and sedges. They carry these plants back to their dens and spread them out on flat rocks in the sun. This is the "drying" phase. Once the plants have dried out and turned into hay, the pika moves the pile into its den for storage. A single pika might gather hundreds of these little hay piles to make sure it has enough to eat when the snow covers the ground.
Autumn
As the air gets colder and the first frost hits the mountains, the pika works even faster. They continue to add to their hay piles, often tucking them deep into the rock crevices where they will be safe from the wind and snow. They also spend time repairing their dens and making sure their tunnels are clear.
Winter
When winter arrives, the pika disappears from sight. While the mountain is covered in a thick blanket of snow, the pika is busy living in the tunnels beneath the rocks. Because the snow acts as an insulator, the temperature inside the rock tunnels stays much warmer than the air outside. The pika spends its winter eating the hay it worked so hard to collect during the summer. It is a quiet, cozy life, but it requires a lot of preparation!
Behavior
Pikas are active during the day or at twilight. Pikas that live in higher places are usually more active during the day. They are most active just before winter starts. Pikas do not hibernate (sleep through winter). They stay active all winter long. They travel through tunnels under rocks and snow. They eat the dried plants they stored earlier.
Rock-dwelling pikas gather plants in two ways. They either eat the plants right away. Or they collect plants to store in a "haypile." This pile of plants dries on the rocks. They then move it to their dens for winter.
Human activities can affect pikas. If pikas think humans are predators, they might spend less time looking for food. This means they store less food for winter. Pikas prefer to find food when it's cooler than 25 °C (77 °F). So, they often stay in shady spots when it's hot. If the temperature goes up by 1 °C (1.8 °F), pikas can lose 3% of their time to find food.
Pikas in Eurasia often live in family groups. They work together to find food and watch for danger. Some kinds of pikas protect their own areas. North American pikas, like the O. princeps and O. collaris, live alone. They only come together during breeding season.
Sounds
Pikas are famous for their unique calls, which sound like a high-pitched whistle or bark. This is why they are sometimes called "whistling hares."
They use different calls for different reasons:
- A short, quick call is often used to warn others of danger, like a hawk flying overhead.
- Longer, more song-like calls are used to defend their territory or attract a mate, especially during the spring breeding season.
The sounds a pika makes can even be slightly different depending on where it lives.
Lifespan
Pikas usually live for about seven years in the wild. Scientists can tell a pika's age by looking at lines on its jawbone. Male and female pikas usually live for the same amount of time.
Images for kids
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Pika Ochotona sp. fossil distribution.
See also
In Spanish: Picas para niños
